Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Pure electricity doesn't smell good?

Recently, Weibo has a topic: "how many trams can replace fuel cars?"

This is a clich é, but in essence, it is not about the length of the tram's service, but the anxiety about it.

At present, most trams can reach the battery life of 500km +, but they are still very different from traditional fuel-fired cars in terms of charging speed and convenience.

But if the battery life of the new energy vehicle is filled directly to the 2000km, and the replenishment time is as fast as refueling, will the battery life anxiety still exist?

Source: Getty Images recently announced a patent application in Germany, saying that it is working with German company Kraftwerk Tubes to develop a new type of hydrogen fuel cell, which can be used in a Volkswagen mass-production model in the future. This new battery will allow the car to last up to the 2000km.

You know, the range of a tank of fuel is only 500,800km, while Volkswagen's hydrogen fuel cell model has a direct range of 2000 km. It can only be replenished once every two or three months, and hydrogen recharge is obviously faster than recharging.

As we all know, Japan is betting on hydrogen energy in terms of automobile transformation, and believes that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the best choice for new energy vehicles, which is why Japanese cars are half a beat behind in the field of pure electricity.

But now that German cars are also starting to make hydrogen-fueled cars and can run 2000 kilometers in one breath, is Volkswagen going to cut off the mustache?

01. Low cost and strong performance before introducing the patent of Volkswagen hydrogen fuel cell, let's understand the working principle of hydrogen fuel cell.

In fact, the principle is not complicated, to put it simply, the chemical energy of the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen is directly converted into electricity.

Fuel cells also have anodes and cathodes like normal batteries. Hydrogen enters through the anode and through the electrolyte diaphragm, which breaks down hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons, and then the electrolyte causes them to reach the cathode through different paths.

When the proton reaches the cathode through the electrolyte, the electron generates an electric current through the external circuit, which is the power source of the hydrogen car. There, they combine with oxygen that goes directly into the cathode and with electrons to produce water and heat.

The negative electrode material of the fuel power cell provides a hydrogen, the positive electrode provides a large amount of oxygen, and then a diaphragm is added between the positive and negative electrodes. Under the action of the catalyst, the electrons in the outer layer of the hydrogen atom will dissociate and become independent electrons + hydrogen ions.

The diaphragm is so special that only two hydrogen ions can pass through at the same time, and electrons will be blocked outside the diaphragm.

The hydrogen fuel cell patents filed by Volkswagen and the German company Kraftwerk Tubes improve this diaphragm.

Sascha K ü hn, chief executive of Kraftwerk Tubes, said that unlike Hyundai and Toyota fuel cells, they rely on ceramic film rather than ordinary plastic film.

Sascha K ü hn, CEO of Kraftwerk Tubes, source: Deutschlandradio and Kraftwerk Tubes is the only manufacturer of ceramic membranes in this technology. This brand new diaphragm can quickly start the fuel cell.

Most importantly, this ceramic membrane can achieve platinum-free mass production. Platinum has always been regarded as one of the major obstacles to the large-scale production of hydrogen fuel cells because of its high cost. The absence of platinum makes ceramic membranes much cheaper to produce than polymer fuel cells, which is the biggest differentiation advantage of the fuel cell stack developed by Kraftwerk Tubes and Volkswagen.

K ü hn also said that another advantage of the ceramic film is that it does not need to be wetted during operation, thus alleviating concerns about freezing in winter, attracting mold in high humidity and drying at high temperatures. Kraftwerk Tubes's technology is similar to solid-state batteries, with almost the same electrolyte and similar material structure.

The difference is that in solid-state cells, only one compact material is used to store energy, while in fuel cells, hydrogen does the task.

In addition, the fuel cell in the patent can also produce waste heat, which is in the usable range of about 400 degrees, so through the heat exchanger, it can generate heat for car heating and air conditioning without consuming extra electricity. to improve overall energy efficiency.

It can be said that this hydrogen fuel cell not only reduces costs, but also improves energy efficiency. So the key question is, when will it be mass produced?

The answer is 2026.

Kraftwerk Tubes says ongoing fuel cell development patents will not be limited to Volkswagen. "No matter who the manufacturer is, our goal is to launch our technology in mass production cars by 2026," said Sascha K ü hn, chief executive of Kraftwerk Tubes.

And once the production car uses the new hydrogen fuel cell stack, it can provide a long range of up to 2000 kilometers.

02. Volkswagen hydrogen fuel vehicle has a long history as a global leading car company, any move made by Volkswagen is regarded as a weather vane of the industry. And the entry of hydrogen fuel cell is also seen as a big gamble in the era of Volkswagen's comprehensive transformation of new energy.

However, this is not the first time the public has been exposed to hydrogen energy. As early as 2014, Volkswagen launched the Golf Variant HyMotion, which was officially unveiled at the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show. The new Golf Variant HyMotion is equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell power system.

Source of Volkswagen Golf Variant HyMotion: in terms of Volksagen appearance, the new golf Variant HyMotion is basically the same as the ordinary version of golf, except that it is equipped with a new style of rims and a blackened taillight.

The golf Variant HyMotion was then equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell power system with a maximum power of 134hp and a zero acceleration time of 10 seconds.

Source: when the Volksagen is filled with hydrogen, it can last up to 500km. When the hydrogen is used up, it can be filled in only 3 minutes.

In addition to the Golf Variant HyMotion, Volkswagen also released the Audi A7 h-tron in 2015. The hydrogen fuel cell power system is also used, with a maximum power of 230 horsepower and a maximum torque of 540N ·m. The zero-hundred acceleration time is only 7.9s, and the maximum speed can reach 180km.

Source: the four hydrogen tanks of the Audi Audi A7 Sportback h-tron quattro are located in the central passage, under the bottom of the trunk and in front of the rear axle, with an aluminum inner shell made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP).

These tanks can store about 5 kilograms of hydrogen at a pressure of 700 bar, enough to drive the vehicle for more than 500km. According to NEDC operating conditions, the fuel consumption per 100km is about 1kg, equivalent to 3.7L of gasoline.

Source: the AudiA7 h-tron can be completely filled with hydrogen in about three minutes, which is about the same time as a conventional fuel car.

Unfortunately, due to the immature objective conditions at that time, energy replenishment, safety and cost issues led to the suspension of production of A7 and Golf hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Audi also tried to restart production plans for the A7 h-tron in 2019 and launched a comprehensive road test to prepare for mass production.

Source: Audi also plans to work with Chinese energy giant Sinopec to build more hydrogenation stations in China to replenish the upcoming hydrogen-fueled models, but none of them came to an end.

Until now, Volkswagen has put the hydrogen fuel cell project on the agenda and partnered with the German company Kraftwerk Tubes, which submitted an application for a hydrogen fuel cell patent in July last year.

Kraftwerk Tubes is a German company that supplies fuel cells directly to powertrains for a variety of applications. Its solid oxide fuel cell (aSOFCs), made in Saxony Dresden, Germany, converts the chemical energy of hydrogen or all common electronic fuels directly into electricity.

Source: Kraftwerk is worth mentioning that although Volkswagen has partnered with Kraftwerk to develop the technology, Kraftwerk will not focus the technology on only Volkswagen automakers.

According to Sascha K ü hn, CEO of Kraftwerk, no matter who the manufacturer is, their goal is to carry out mass production by 2026, and it is currently planned to use the new technology in about 10000 vehicles, and these vehicles will be distributed among several automakers.

Apart from Volkswagen, Infiniti, a high-end brand owned by Nissan, has publicly announced a partnership with Kraftwerk, and K ü hn says the two sides are in initial talks.

What is the level of 03 or 2000 kilometers? Volkswagen's re-entry into hydrogen-powered cars shows that it does not want to give up on hydrogen, which is at odds with the consistent position of its predecessor, CEO Herbert Diess, on hydrogen fuel at Volkswagen.

Source: Volkswagen Deiss denied the potential of hydrogen as a source of power for electric vehicles in a tweet last May. "it turns out that hydrogen-fueled cars can't solve the climate problem," he said. in the field of transportation, electrification has become dominant. False debate is a waste of time. Please listen to science. "

But unlike Deiss, the current CEO, in addition to leading Volkswagen through the transition from fuel to electrification, he is also a major supporter of another low-emission approach, e-Fuel.

Source: Porschee-Fuel is a kind of synthetic fuel, which uses renewable energy such as solar energy and wind energy to generate electricity, and liquid fuel is synthesized by chemical reaction of hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The required hydrogen is extracted from electrolytic water, and carbon dioxide is obtained from the air by direct air trapping technology.

That's why Volkswagen is getting excited about hydrogen fuel cell cars.

However, Volkswagen wants to build hydrogen fuel cell cars, there are not a few competitors, after all, Japanese and South Korean car companies have been vigorously developing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Source: Toyota excluding commercial vehicles, Toyota Mirai is currently the industry leader in hydrogen-powered passenger cars. Mirai is now in the second generation of models, based on Toyota's TNGA architecture, and selected materials and assemblies according to Lexus standards.

The second-generation MIRAI went on sale in 2020. So far, the MIRAI has sold more than 20000 vehicles and traveled a cumulative distance of more than 533 million kilometers. The WLTC mileage of the new Mirai reaches 850km, an increase of 30 per cent over the previous generation, starting at $49500.

Source: Toyota it is reported that Toyota's second-generation Mira will also enter GAC Toyota's sales matrix by the end of this year in the form of imported cars. The first batch will be limited to the introduction of 50 sets of "tasting fresh", with an official price of 748000-754000 yuan.

In addition, Hyundai's hydrogen energy vehicle NEXO is also very strong. NEXO was born in 2018, and NEXO has performed as well as Mirai in overseas markets. NEXO sold nearly 5000 vehicles worldwide in 2019, and NEXO's cumulative global sales reached 27000 as of June this year.

Source: HYUNDAINEXO is arguably the best-selling hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in the world, and under the EPA battery test standard, NEXO achieved an excellent score of 569.7-611.6km, surpassing not only the 502km (EPA) of the first generation Mirai, but also the EPA score of Clarity Fuel Cell 589km of Honda's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

At present, the Chinese version of Nexo has officially obtained the license plate of Beijing New Energy vehicle and can drive legally on the road. The driving range of the Chinese version of NEXO is 550km, which is much lower than that of the overseas version of 800KM.

Source: HYUNDAI

The main reason for the reduction in battery life is that the pressure of the hydrogen storage tank of Chinese passenger cars is limited to 350Bar, while the international version of the hydrogen storage tank supports the highest pressure of 700Bar. But it only takes five minutes to hydrogenate.

It can be seen that neither Hyundai nor Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have a longer range than the 1000km, while Volkswagen's new hydrogen fuel cell stack with Kraftwerk Tubes can provide a range of up to 2000 kilometers.

What is the concept of 2000km? It is important to know that today's new energy vehicles, even new ones that use extended range technology, have a maximum range of 1000km.

If all goes well, Volkswagen's patented hydrogen fuel cell with Kraftwerk Tubes could be mass-produced by 2026 or earlier. Will pure electric cars still be popular at that time?

This article is from the official account of Wechat: Super Electric Lab (ID:SuperEV-Lab), author: Truman, Editor: Zaizhou

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